The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that Nigeria still grapples with a staggering 18.3 million out-of-school children due to persistent challenge in the country’s education sector.
UNICEF in its 2024 State of Nigerian Children report, stated that 10.2 million children of primary school age and 8.1 million children of secondary school age are out of school.
UNICEF reported that nearly 200,000 trained teachers are needed to address the extremely low teacher-student ratio.
The report further stated that 73 per cent of 7-to-14-year-olds cannot understand simple sentences, and 75 percent cannot do simple mathematics.
The report disclosed that 4.9 million children in Nigeria need urgent humanitarian assistance, According to the report, adding that 90 per cent of children under 5 years experienced some form of violence.
The report also showed that 2.1 million children have never received any form of vaccination to prevent childhood diseases and the newborn mortality rate remains at 41 per 1000 live births.
Also, almost 70% of households lack access to safe drinking water, with 40% of children under 5 years of age being stunted. The report also said Nigeria has ranked second highest climate risk for children.
Speaking on the report, Cristian Munduate, a UNICEF representative said Nigeria must increase its investments in health, education, and child protection. She said the budget allocated to education and health is below the international benchmark.
According to her, the prosperity of the Nation must start with children. “The prosperity of Nigeria should start with children. We must work together to ensure that our resources reach the most vulnerable children. We need to prioritize programs to address their needs, malnutrition, access to education, violence and health.
“And these are not just needs, these are lives. They are entitled at least to receive this basic so that they can develop, they can live and they can grow properly. This is a call to Action,” she said.
Also speaking, the minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, stated that the report will support sectoral planning to address the plight of Nigerian children, including vulnerable groups.
He stated that the government is sensitive to the plight of the children and the children are among their topmost priority.
“It is imperative to state that it is a national document that is intended to provide a timely and comprehensive series of data for all stakeholders involved in child development, highlighting the many varied and interrelated challenges faced by Nigerian children and stakeholders seeking to address these challenges.
He noted that the report will also facilitate the development of effective interventions that are powerful tools to guide advocacy and ensure the advancement of the rights of children in the country.
CEO, of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Tayo Aduloju, on his part, described the situation as an existential crisis that requires great attention.
While pledging the private sector’s commitment to to work hard to help address the issues facing the children in Nigeria, Aduloju stated that there will be no competitive future on economics, growth and development if the Nigerian child continues to face these challenges.